UPDATED: Suicide Follows Stabbing Linked to Pfizer Layoffs

(MoneyWatch) 

• UPDATE: Police confirmed it's a suicide; no confirmation yet on whether the 44-year-old Westwood, N.J., man was affected by the layoffs.

The body of a man was found in the parking lot of Pfizer (PFE)'s Pearl River, N.Y., site in a possible suicide, police say. Pfizer plans about 200 layoffs at the site.

It is the second violent incident associated with layoffs at the company. A few days ago, a former Pfizer scientist in Connecticut was arrested for attempting to stab his wife to death. He had been laid off from Pfizer's New London area sites. Pfizer intends to cut 19,500 jobs across its international network in order to make its merger with Wyeth financially successful.

Police told LoHud.com that the Pearl River death could be a suicide or a homicide. While aware of the layoffs at the plant, police did not confirm the reason for the death:

"As far as we know, he had a secure job," Brown said. "Obviously, we're looking at all angles as to why he might have done this."

His body was found in a car in the Pfizer parking lot on Middletown Road.

Elsewhere in New York state, a church held a service at which Pfizer employees prayed for their jobs and their families:

Most of the other Pfizer employees in attendance said this is a really nerve-wracking time, and the service meant a lot to them.

Adding to the stress: Accusations that Pfizer is laying off staff in dribs and drabs in order to avoid the legal requirement to notify the state over the layoffs.

• Related:
• Pfizer Scientist Stabbed Wife After Job Loss, Police Say